Such air passenger stairs or air passenger bridges are known. Air passenger stairs or bridges usually have a so-called pleated canopy roof disposed at its front free end, the canopy roof bridging the gap between the air passenger stair or bridge and the fuselage of the aircraft. This means that the canopy roof forms a gangway protection between the air passenger stair or bridge on the one hand and the aircraft on the other hand.
Such a canopy roof is known from DE 10 2004 016 272 B4. The canopy roof comprises two articulated arms disposed in a horizontally spaced-apart relationship, which are disposed in an articulated manner on the approximately U-shaped portal frame of the air passenger stair or bridge. A second articulated connection receives a piston cylinder drive, more specifically a gas pressure spring. The drive is articulately connected to the articulated arm and which causes the extension movement of the respective articulated arm. The second articulated connection is respectively located under the articulated arrangement of the two articulated arms on the portal frame of the air passenger stair or bridge. The articulated arms themselves have a flexible U-shaped frame at their front free end, the U-shaped frame comprising a so-called bumper with which the frame comes to rest on the outer skin of the aircraft in the area of the access opening. A drive is provided for controlling the extension movement. Such a drive comprises two rolls. One roll is fastened on the portal frame above each respective articulated arm. Such a roll serves to receive a traction means, e.g. a rope or a strap, the end of the rope or the strap being connected to the end of the articulated arm in the area of the U-shaped frame with the bumper. The two spaced-apart rolls are connected to each other by a shaft, the shaft being driven by a motor, for example a tubular motor. A circumferential folded roof, which is also U-shaped, is provided between the front side U-shaped frame and the portal frame of the air passenger stair or bridge.
Many manufacturers are offering air passenger stairs and air passenger bridges. Thereby, the portal frames of the individual air passenger stairs or air passenger bridges are configured in such a manner that the connection for the articulated arm or the piston cylinder drive but also the fastening of the roll above the articulated arm cannot take place in any point. This means that, depending on the constructor, completing an air passenger stair or an air passenger bridge with the corresponding canopy roof always causes considerable engineering and mounting efforts. As has already been explained, the reason for this is that one must first determine, for each air passenger stair or air passenger bridge of each manufacturer, in which points the connection of the previously described components can occur, in order to design the geometry, i.e. the relation between the parts, in such manner that such a canopy roof is functional.
The canopy roof comprises an actuation device and a U-shaped bellows configured as a pleated or corrugated bellows. In addition, the actuation device comprises the two articulated arms with the corresponding piston cylinder drives, which are preferably configured as gas pressure springs. The piston cylinder drives provide the extension movement of the canopy roof or the actuation device.